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Chapter 157 Shi Yanchao Invites You for Drinks
Just as Li Yi had predicted, and as history has recorded, the envoy sent by the emperor to the Huainan front to stop the withdrawal of troops was ultimately too late.

Li Gu, the chief commander of the Huainan Road Vanguard Army and prime minister, led a large army back to defend the Zhengyang pontoon bridge, thus relieving the siege of Shouzhou City of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

When the news reached Tokyo, the emperor was holding a court meeting to discuss the war in Huainan. Upon hearing about the changes at the front, the officials were immediately in an uproar.

Li Yi stood in the ranks of military officers, his eyes secretly scanning the crowd to observe their reactions.

He knew that the emperor was definitely unhappy with Li Gu's unauthorized withdrawal of troops to defend the city, but he didn't care about that, and it wasn't his place to say anything. He was more concerned about the emperor's next arrangements.

Chai Rong, seated on the throne, had a gloomy expression. He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, and after a long while, he spoke coldly: "Li Gu withdrew his troops without authorization, causing the siege of Shouzhou to fail. What do you think should be done about this, my dear ministers?"

The ministers looked at each other, and seeing that neither Chancellor Fan Zhi nor Wang Pu had spoken, they all remained silent.

Li Gu was, after all, a second-ranking prime minister. Even though he had made a mistake, the emperor did not issue an edict to punish him severely. Instead, he brought it up for discussion in court. Who could know what the emperor was really thinking?
If one were to speak rashly, whether it be kicking someone when they're down or defending Li Gu, there would be a great risk involved.

Moreover, although there were quite a few civil and military officials attending the court assembly, most of them were just there to make up the numbers and had no right to interfere in important military and political affairs.

As for the remaining few qualified individuals, they are all shrewd and calculating, and they rarely express their opinions unless it concerns their own vital interests.

Chai Rong frowned slightly, and was about to open his mouth to say something when he saw a small old man with half-white hair and beard suddenly step forward.

It was Zuo Chengsi, the Imperial Censor who had accused Li Yi of "committing atrocities" in the suppression of Buddhism.

He said solemnly, “Your Majesty, although Prime Minister Li’s actions were intended to preserve the pontoon bridge, he withdrew his troops without imperial orders, which is a violation of military orders. If he is not severely punished, I fear that other generals will follow suit in the future, and military orders will be difficult to enforce!”

The Imperial Censor held the highest position among all the censors. At present, the Later Zhou Dynasty did not have a full-time head and deputy head of the Censorate, namely the Grand Censor and the Vice Censor-in-Chief. Therefore, since the Imperial Censor Zuo Chengsi had already stepped forward, several other censors in the hall immediately followed suit.

The censors were responsible for investigating officials both inside and outside the court and for upholding discipline, so it was within their duties to impeach the prime minister Li Gu.

However, other cautious ministers raised objections: "Prime Minister Li is both a prime minister and the commander of the vanguard. If we rashly punish him, it may shake the morale of the army. It would be better to recall him to Tokyo first, find out the reason, and then make a decision."

The ministers then split into two factions, debating whether to immediately and severely punish Prime Minister Li Gu for his crimes.

Chai Rong closed his eyes slightly, thinking of the Battle of Gaoping, when Li Gu was forced by the chaotic soldiers to flee into the valley and almost starve to death rather than surrender to the Han army.

In addition, during his counterattack against the Northern Han, the enemy served him diligently, doing their utmost in coordinating the deployment of troops and logistics in the area.

I heard that Li Gu only ate one meal a day and slept for only one or two hours. He worked day and night and lost almost 20 pounds.

Chai Rong was a very sentimental person. He remembered all those who had helped him consolidate his throne last year, and promoted and gave important positions to them.

Prime Minister Li Gu had clearly made great contributions, and Chai Rong was well aware of this, which allowed him to be more lenient with Li Gu.

Chai Rong thought to himself: Li Gu is quite capable of handling practical matters, and he was a talented person with both literary and martial skills when he was young... It's a pity that he has lost some of his sharpness as he got older.

He felt that he also bore some responsibility for this matter. He had sent Li Gu to lead the attack on Huainan because he valued the latter’s strong experience and ability in logistics and coordination.

Furthermore, Chai Rong was unwilling to easily relinquish power to military generals, so he compromised by allowing Li Gushun to also manage the frontline troops.

However, every advantage has its disadvantages. After all, he was not a professional military officer, so he was still a step behind in terms of combat skills.

However, now is not the time to think about punishing Li Gu. Hundreds of thousands of troops are still on the battlefield in Huainan. A single move could have far-reaching consequences. The priority should be to stabilize the morale of the army. Li Gu certainly cannot be easily recalled for the time being.

Chai Rong remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials before finally settling on Wang Pu: "Minister Wang, what is your opinion on this matter?"

As a high-ranking official, Wang Pu was deeply involved in national affairs and clearly understood the emperor's thoughts. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that although Prime Minister Li's withdrawal of troops was inappropriate, the situation in Huainan is not yet stable. If we rashly replace the commander-in-chief, it may give the Tang Kingdom an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. It would be better to let him atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service first, and then deal with him after the war has settled down."

Chai Rong nodded slightly, somewhat satisfied with the answer, but the coldness in his eyes had not yet dissipated: "In that case, we will follow Wang Qing's suggestion and temporarily retain Li Gu in his post. We will also order Li Chongjin to lead the army to Zhengyang as soon as possible to support the vanguard in defending against the enemy."

The withdrawal from Shouzhou is irreversible. The most important thing now is to avoid any further mistakes. As the saying goes, it is easy to advance but difficult to retreat. The most urgent task is to ensure the safety of the army.

Although Chai Rong was wary of Li Chongjin, he still acknowledged his cousin's military capabilities. With the situation on the Huainan front unclear, sending Li Chongjin to assist would provide additional assurance.

Anyway, the command was still in Li Gu's hands, and Li Chongjin only needed to obey orders and fight; the other side couldn't interfere with anything else.

Wang Pu solemnly agreed, but then the emperor said, "The southern expedition is not something that can be accomplished in a day, and the Tang Kingdom is not comparable to the Shu Kingdom. Therefore, taking advantage of the fact that the Huai River is shallow in winter and easy to cross, I will personally lead a large army to the Huainan front to supervise the battle and bring the war to a close as soon as possible, so as not to drag it out for too long and cause unnecessary complications."

Chai Rong's words didn't sound like he was asking for opinions; they sounded more like he was saying: "I am about to personally lead an expedition. This is to formally inform you all, so please prepare yourselves in advance."

After all, the emperor's personal expedition would inevitably involve a large number of civil and military officials, and many of the ministers qualified to attend court would also be accompanying him. No one voiced any objection to this; everyone knew the emperor's personality. Before the emperor's personal expedition to Gaoping, the highly respected and experienced prime minister Feng Dao tried to stop him, almost infuriating the emperor.

Now Chai Rong's prestige has far surpassed that of when he first ascended the throne. Which courtier would dare to step forward and provoke him?

As for Chancellor Fan Zhi and Wang Pu, the emperor must have discussed the matter of his personal expedition with them beforehand, so it was even less likely that they would come out to obstruct it.

"Then it's settled. Your daily activities in the inner palace will be suspended for today. Minister Fan and Minister Wang will come to the Jinxiang Hall to see me later."

Without saying a word, Chai Rong gave an order and then got up and left.

His decisive and efficient style of handling matters is evident.

……

After the court assembly ended, Li Yi walked out of the main hall, looked up at the gloomy sky, and sighed inwardly.

The emperor's decision to personally lead the expedition has been confirmed, which means that the empress's conversation with Fu Erniang a few days ago, where she said she would not be sent to the battlefield again for the time being, is probably true.

As for the Empress Dowager also going on the expedition... Regardless of whether the emperor agreed or not, Li Yi felt that he had absolutely no way to interfere with this matter.

Previously, I wondered if I could privately stop Empress Dafu from going on the expedition, but now I realize that I was overthinking it. I wasn't even involved in the attack on Southern Tang, so how could I have the right to meddle in the emperor's family affairs?
He originally thought that his position was high enough and his power was great enough, but when it really came down to it, he was powerless to do anything about many things.

Of course, upon closer reflection, this makes sense. Even Zhang Yongde and Li Chongjin could hardly influence major political affairs, let alone himself.

Just then, a large hand patted Li Yi on the shoulder. Turning around, he saw it was Shi Yanchao.

Shi Yanchao grinned widely, his rough voice booming in Li Yi's ear: "Commander Li, a few months ago when you led your troops into battle, I said I'd treat you to drinks when you returned victorious. It just so happens that today is the perfect day. After we finish our shift, let's go have a good drink."

Li Yi's face immediately darkened. If Shi Yanchao hadn't brought it up now, he would have completely forgotten about it.

"Thank you for your kindness, Commander Shi. I am..."

Li Yi subconsciously opened his mouth to politely decline, but Shi Yanchao glared at him and snorted, "Does Commander Li look down on me now that he's been promoted? If it were anyone else, I wouldn't even be qualified to invite him for a drink!"

Li Yi hurriedly replied, "This...then I shall respectfully accept your offer!"

He knew Shi Yanchao's temper well. Apart from the emperor, no one could be respected by him. He would be furious if he offended this guy over something as trivial as drinking.

It doesn't seem worth it no matter how you look at it... Although Li Yi's current status is that of the Commander of the Palace Guards, the cavalry naturally has an advantage over the infantry, and Shi Yanchao, the Commander of the Infantry, is not as good as him.

However, if his relationship with Shi Yanchao sours, it will be a headache for him in the Palace Guard in the future.

Upon hearing this, Shi Yanchao's expression softened. He then arranged a time and place with Li Yi and swaggered away.

The drinking place was a tavern in the inner city. After finishing his shift, Li Yi arrived at the place as agreed, and Shi Yanchao was already waiting for him.

"This jar is the best-selling wine in Bianliang City right now. It is said to be produced by the Li Family Wine Shop. The wine is very strong and tastes a bit spicy, but it is also very refreshing."

Shi Yanchao smugly picked up a wine jar, and Li Yi felt a chill run down his spine. But he was already on the wrong path, and it would be difficult to get off now.

However, upon hearing the mention of Li Family Wine Shop, Li Yi couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that the distilled liquor he supplied to Li Erniangzi was mixed with this liquor?
He craned his neck to look at the clear liquid, smelled that familiar aroma, and immediately became certain... Damn it, the boomerang had hit him on the head this way.

Li Yi naturally understood the "power" of the distilled spirit he had personally produced; even though it had been blended, he figured the alcohol content wouldn't be too low.

Li Yi had no choice but to bite the bullet and start drinking with Shi Yanchao. Sure enough, the alcohol content was quite high, and he got a little tipsy after only a few bowls.

"Why are you drinking like a woman? Come on, keep going!" Shi Yanchao slurred, clearly also drunk.

After all, it was a blend of distilled spirits, and a jar of it weighed at least seven or eight jin (3.5-4 catties). Shi Yanchao drank most of it by himself, so it would be strange if he didn't get drunk.

"I...I can't take it anymore...I can't drink anymore..." After downing two more bowls of wine, Li Yi was already exhausted.

Since last year, his alcohol tolerance has increased considerably, but compared to a "drinking barrel" like Shi Yanchao, he is still far inferior.

If it were ordinary fermented wine from this era, Li Yi could easily drink one or two jars, but blended distilled spirits would be a challenge for him.

(End of this chapter)